Album Review

The mandolin has been quite prominent in bluegrass and Irish/Celtic music, but in jazz, mandolin players have been few and far between. That fact makes the mandolin very fertile ground for Jamie Masefield, whose Jazz Mandolin Project takes its share of chances on Tour de Flux. Even if Masefield (who plays the tenor banjo as a second instrument) used his mandolin for nothing but Charlie Parker classics and stuck to standard bebop chord changes, this album would be unusual because not many improvisers have used the mandolin for that sort of thing. But Masefield is far from a retro-bopper, and this adventurous outing draws on post-bop, avant-garde jazz, and fusion, as well as progressive rock and world music. When the Project (which also includes bassist Chris Dahlgren and drummer Jon Fishman) digs into abstract, quirky offerings like "Chapeau," "Barber's Hint," and "Clip," you're listening to a group that isn't afraid to take some chances. This is a CD that won't be accused of being stuffy or conventional.

Customer Reviews

This will pleasantly finger your ear.

by
Rippinfrog

Much contagious enjoyment comes through from hearing the resultant technique of a very individual exploration of the possibilities of an instrument. As applied here, it also opened up some very tasty harmonic and rhythmic variations within the ensemble. These guys will expand your palette.

Biography

Formed: 1993

Genre: Jazz

Years Active: '90s, '00s

The Jazz Mandolin Project was led by mandolinist Jamie Masefield, a onetime member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Formed in 1993, the improvisational ensemble's original lineup also included bassist Stacey Starkweather and drummer Gabe Jarrett; they released a self-titled album in 1996 before disbanding late the following year. Masefield then assembled a new Jazz Mandolin Project lineup featuring drummer Jon Fishman (best known for his work in jam band icon Phish) and upright bassist...